Abuse victim witness went into ‘spiral of despair’ before overdose

A TALENTED violinist who gave evidence about sexual abuse by her music teacher told her husband she felt she had been the one on trial, just days before she died of a prescription drug overdose.

Frances Andrade died at her home in January 2013 just a week after giving evidence in court about historic sexual abuse by her former choirmaster Michael Brewer and indecent assault by his ex-wife Kay Brewer, from Haslingden.

Woking Coroner's Court heard the mother-of-four, 48, had spiralled into ‘incredible despair’ after a friend reported Brewer to Surrey Police the previous January and she was asked to give a statement.

Brewer, who taught at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester before going on to direct the World Youth Choir, was later stripped of music services OBE after being jailed for six years for five counts of indecent assault.

Mrs Andrade was aged just 14 and 15 at the time of the abuse but only came forward when she confided in a friend at a dinner party in 2011 and was alarmed Brewer was still teaching.

The court heard she was prescribed anti-depressants after talking to police and had twice tried to take her own life in December 2012 and January 2013.

Her husband Levine Andrade, 59, found his wife, known as Fran, dead at 8am in the morning of January 24 last year.

He said: "She fell into incredible despair, the truth hit home. It was not something she wanted to report to the police. Life took a real downturn after the court proceedings.”